WITH the long days of summer coming to a close, this month sees the beginning of autumn and the autumnal equinox on March 21.
But beware the ides of March. The ides occur on March 15. This came from the old Roman calendar. It was usually the first full moon of the Roman new year that started in March.
All months have an ides, it means "the middle" and is usually the 13th or 15th of the month.
A total solar eclipse will occur on March 20. It will not be visible from New Zealand but will be in Europe and eastern Asia. A partial lunar eclipse follows two weeks later on April 4.
As for the planets, Venus sinks lower each night in the evening sky after having been in conjunction with Mars during the last week of February. The two still make a close couple in the fading evening twilight. Mars will be gone from the evening by March 10.